Nothing that has gone before can compare with this!

House Of Wax
1953 | 1Hr 28 Min | PG | Horror | Warner Brothers

Director: André De Toth (as Andre de Toth)

Writers: Crane Wilbur (screenplay), Charles Belden (story)

Stars: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk

Professor Henry Jarrod is a true artist whose wax sculptures are lifelike. He specializes in historical tableau's such a Marie Antoinette or Joan of Arc. His business partner, Matthew Burke, needs some of his investment returned to him and pushes Jarrod to have more lurid exposes like a chamber of horrors. When Jarrod refuses, Burke set the place alight destroying all of his beautiful work in the hope of claiming the insurance. Jarrod is believed to have died in the fire but he unexpectedly reappears some 18 months later when he opens a new exhibit. This time, his displays focus on the macabre but he has yet to reproduce his most cherished work, Marie Antoinette. When he meets his new assistant's beautiful friend, Sue Allen, he knows he's found the perfect model - only unbeknown to anyone, he has a very particular way of making his wax creations.

Well, here you go a Vincent Price classic and a Svengoolie premiere. Of course not in 3D but never the less should be a blast. Personally, I love this movie and just might be the first Price flick I had ever seen.  Watch ‘House of Wax’ at 8PM | 7C, Saturday, March 30, on MeTV.

Every Town Has Its Monsters

I Am Not A Serial Killer
2016 | R | 1 hr 44 min | Drama/Thriller | IFC Midnight


Director: Billy O'Brien

Writers: Billy O'Brien, Christopher Hyde

Stars: Max Records, Christopher Lloyd, Laura Fraser

Synopsis:

In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer while keeping his own inner demons at bay.

If you are new to the cave or stopping by to check out my entry into the Mystery Mania Blog-a-thon hosted by Pop Culture Reverie welcome and enjoy as we talk about the most whacked out mind trip I have seen in years!

Based on the 2009 novel by Dan Wells, Billy O'Brien tests how far our sympathies can be stretched as we try to identify with amoral or mentally ill protagonists.  And the path O'Brien takes on down is intriguing, to say the least.  O'Brien being from Ireland paints a very harsh and cold look of Minnesota in the winter so elegantly. Shot on 16 millimeters (something rarely done today) his thoughtful visual plan, aligning us with a perspective seen through the eyes of our young star making the most of the drab backdrop of smokestacks, icy roads, and bare trees.

Our young star is played by Max Records and besides the cool name, his big break came from Where the Wilds Things Are. Records took home many independent awards for his role as John Wayne Cleaver our anti-hero now grown into a convincingly sour teenager. Diagnosed as a sociopath, John is obsessed with serial killers, fearing he might develop into one himself. When evidence surfaces that a real killer is operating in his town, John launches an investigation of his own. One obvious suspect is his creepy neighbor Mr. Crowley, played very effectively by Christopher Lloyd, whose rasp and shambling movements establish him as a figure of menace even from afar.

Loyd and Records are pure magic together weaving there stories together twisting and turning every other minute and you just don't know what it is your watching. Without giving too much away your never sure if you're watching a very uncomfortable teen comedy, an odd drama, or something straight out of the twilight zone.  The one thing I can say is this one grabs you in the gut while building up so much tension that you can feel every squeeze as it gets tighter and tighter. Even if your not sure what the hell is going on you can not look away and it is amazing!

This movie has it all a great cast, and off the rail storyline, and the look and feel that brings you right into a small town. The only downfall is this one is a slow burn, in fact, its a toss it into a crockpot it's going to be a while slow burn.  But yet you walk away full and satisfied with the payoff. 

Independent cinema always brings out the best in people and I Am Not a Serial Killer was a perfect blend for Christopher Loyd. Loyd alone is worth the price of admistion. Streaming now on Hulu this is a well painted grim story that a nice twist at the end.  

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a much see.

4 Bloody Brains out of 5

Now make sure to click the banner below and check out the other bloggers taking part in the Blogathon. 

Abducted In Plain Sight Review

Abducted In Plain Sight
2017 | 1Hr 31Min | TV-14 | Documentary | Netflix

Director: Skye Borgman

Stars: 

Jan Broberg

Bob Broberg

Mary Ann Broberg

Synopsis:

In 1974, 12-year-old Jan Broberg was abducted from a small community in Idaho. When Jan was returned 5 weeks later, she assured her parents and the courts that "nothing had happened"....enabling a pedophile to go free and paving the way for Jan's second abduction and years of sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse.

Good lord, what did I just witness? This has to be the strangest story ever told right? I'm not sure how I feel about it still and I watched this days ago. 

The documentary about an Idaho preteen who was raped, abused, and kidnapped by a family friend right in front of her parents’ eyes. Debut on Netflix earlier this month and within two weeks since it arrived on the world’s go-to bingeable platform Netflix, it has generated buzz online and throughout the Twitter'verse so of course, we have to check it out. This crazy ass thing features an innocent, sympathetic victim while it demonstrates how easy it is for people to be totally duped; it sparks feelings of disbelief and outrage, and it contains enough mind-boggling twists to induce motion sickness. You will definitely feel nauseous while watching it! 

Once this one ended and my stomach settled I was left with a lot of questions about how Jan's process and how she overcame the trauma that she endured. How, for example, is she not furious with her parents for being such pushovers? I’m furious with them! My kids are furious with them, in fact, if they walked up to me right now I'm pretty sure I would punch them in the face! Jan says toward the end of the documentary that part of the way she learned to forgive them was by helping them forgive themselves, WHAT? Ugh. The lingering curiosity about how someone could possibly get over such horrible abuse is just one of the things that makes me confident I’ll be thinking about Abducted in Plain Sight for a long time. 

The most disturbing parts of this documentary are the things that Robert Berchtold did to Jan Broberg for years, without her parents or the law stopping him. But the most chilling takeaway from this mind-blowing documentary might be this: You never know what anyone is capable of doing in private. Buy the end we found ourselves laughing. Was it an uncomfortable laugh, or are we laughing at how dumb this family comes across? Only you can be the judge.

3 out of 5 Stars

Day In Music

Back on March 18th, 1967 The Beatles scored their 13th US No.1 single with 'Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever'. The song's title is derived from the name of a street near Lennon's house, in Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon would meet at Penny Lane junction in the Mossley Hill area to catch a bus into the center of the city.

The Clash released their debut single 'White Riot.' on this day in 1977. The song is in the typical punk style of three chords played very fast. Mick Jones counts off "1-2-3-4" at the start of the album version while the single version begins with the sound of a police siren instead.

And sadly on this day in 2017, Chuck Berry died at the aged 90. The American guitarist, singer, and songwriter was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as 'Maybellene' (1955), 'Roll Over Beethoven' (1956), 'Rock and Roll Music' (1957) and 'Johnny B. Goode' (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive.

And how can I not say Happy Birthday to Irene Cara who single handly wrote my 80's "In Love" playlist. She was easily one of my many crushes in my early days. Here music still plays on Muszak at work and makes me happy every time I hear it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Man's first adventure into the incredible 4th dimension

4D Man
1959 | NR | 1 HR 25 Min | Horror | Universal

Director: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Writers: 

Theodore Simonson 

Cy Chermak

Stars: 

Robert Lansing

Lee Meriwether

James Congdon

Synopsis:

Two brothers, scientists Scott and Tony Nelson, develop an amplifier which enables a person to enter the 4th-dimensional state, allowing him to pass through any object. Scott experiments on himself and discovers that each time he passes through something he ages rapidly. He begins killing people, sucking out their life energies and regaining his youth as a result. It falls to Tony and Scott's girlfriend, Linda, to try to put a stop to his murderous rampage.

Whoa wait a minute do we have something new on Svengoolie this week? I'm not sure that even I have seen this one. I will be setting the DVR for this one Watch '4D Man' at 8PM | 7C, Saturday, March 16, on MeTV.

Who Farted?

Ok, so the other day no less than five articles about farting showed up on my Pinterest page. Now I have no idea why it's not like I looked up Farting or taking a dump but yet here they are. So guess what I read one of them and sure it was funny and yet I learned something.

So here are the top five things I learned about Farting.

Number One

Men fart a lot! They fart more than women! Well duh but I bet you did not know a Fart from females stink much more than male farts as females possess a higher grouping of hydrogen sulfide. Female farts are also more beneficial to smell.

Number Two

Adult people fart about 14 times a day on average which means that the air which comes out of the anus 14 times a day can fill up a balloon and Farting can go as quick as 10 feet per second

Number Three

The creatures which fart the most are termites. Others include sheep, camels, elephants, canines (especially retrievers and labs) and zebras.

Number Four

In case of a tight sphincter, your farts will be louder.

And Number Five...

The word itself was created in 1962. It means that wind comes out of the anus.

So yeah you can learn something on Pinterest. 

Burn, Witch, Burn 1962

Burn Witch Burn
1962 | NR | 1 Hr 30 Min | Horror | Independent Artist

Director: Sidney Hayers

Writers:

Fritz Leiber Jr. (novel) 

Charles Beaumont (screenplay)

Richard Matheson (Screenplay)

Stars: 

Peter Wyngarde

Janet Blair

Margaret Johnston

Synopsis:

A skeptical college professor discovers that his wife has been practicing magic for years. Like the learned, rational fellow he is, he forces her to destroy all her magical charms and protective devices, and stop that foolishness. He isn't put off by her insistence that his professional rivals are working magic against him, and her protections are necessary to his career and life.

This post is part of The Richard Matheson Blogathon! so make sure to check out the other's, and if this is your first time to the cave welcome!

Norman Taylor (Wyngarde) is a psychology professor lecturing about belief systems and superstition. One day he discovers that his wife is practicing witchcraft. She insists that her charms have been responsible for his rapid advancement in his academic career and for his general well-being. Upon this discovery, He forces her to burn all of her magical paraphernalia and that's when all hell breaks loose. But sadly for me the movie never really finds its legs never really drawing the tension it was trying to conceive. 

The good news for its writer Matheson, he will go on to write some B-movie classics like Jaws 3-D, The Omega Man, and Trilogy of Terror. The one bright spot for me has to be Wyngarde with his smooth looks and fine acting as he takes the wheel and drives this one home. The rest of the cast was just ok nothing overly special. 

The look and feel of Burn, Witch, Burn, has its appeal and works with the story trying to make it more dramatic. Nothing outstanding about the score as well leaving you with a slow burn or maybe even a simmer that never really comes to a boil. 

Witch stories are some of my favorites but this one just did not grab me. With a rather dull cast to go with a pretty tame story Burn, Witch, Burn, falls short for me in a big way, and it is sad as this one is coined as one of the best British horror movies of the 60s'. 

2 Bloody Brains out of 5

Havoc! Chaos! Destruction!

It Came From Beneath The Sea
1955 | PG | 1 Hr 19 Min | Horror | Columbia

Director: Robert Gordon

Writers: George Worthing Yates (screenplay), Harold Jacob Smith (screenplay)

Stars: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis

Synopsis:

After an encounter at sea with an unknown underwater creature, a naval commander works with two scientists to identify it. The creature they are dealing with is a giant, radioactive octopus that has left its normal feeding grounds in search of new sources of replenishment. As the creature attacks San Francisco, the Navy tries to trap it at the Golden Gate Bridge but it manages to enter the Bay area leading to a final confrontation with a submarine.

Watch 'It Came From Beneath the Sea' at 8PM | 7C, Saturday, March 9, on MeTV.

Also its that time again for the Rondo Awards make sure to vote for Sven or your favorite Horror Host by clicking here --} Rondo Awards

deadwax Review

deadwax | 2018 | 8 Episodes | Thriller | Shudder

Directed and Written by:
Graham Reznick

Stars:

Evan Gamble

Hannah Gross

Tracy Perez

Ted Raimi 

Synopsis:

A mind-bending neo-noir set in the obsessive world of vinyl collecting. Etta Pryce, a vinyl tracker, is hired by a rich collector to hunt a legendary rare record that has driven its owners mad and killed anyone that has dared to play it.

Dead Wax is the area on vinyl records between the last track on the record and the label, varies greatly from one record company to the other, regarding value as well as the quantity of useful information. The dead wax data on the products of smaller labels are often written manually, i.e. by hand.

One of the coolest things I have been doing with my daughter has been hunting down cool vinyl through record stores to flea markets it has been a blast sharing music with her on so many levels. So when I joined Shudder this one caught my eye right away. This psychological horror series is binge-worthy to the point that as soon as it draws you in the credits roll leaving you fumbling in the dark for the remote just so you can get to the next episode! 

Hannah Gross is our lead here who comes off as this soft gentle character with a rough and tough inside. She takes your hand and weaves you through the insanity that follows I can't express enough how much your heart lies with her at all times. 

But the true hero that wraps your mind around his tale driving you insane as well is director Graham Reznick. Much like David Lynch, Reznick knows how to utilize ambient sound such as a fluorescent light buzz or gentle pulsations to set the tone. He even employs different shots that are very reminiscent of  Lynch along with the way and the actors speak their dialogue in such an unrelaxed fashion the creates wonderful tension. Sound can be used to create a host of moods and in the case of Deadwax, it is definitely chilling and will leave you wanting more.

Deadwax is the right kind of nailbiter that sets an eerie mood and drags you around for a wonderful ride. You really fall for the characters and with sound playing a big part of the show you will feel the chill crawling up your back! 

If you have Shudder this is a must watch, if your thinking about joining Shudder between this and Horror Noire prove that it is well worth the subscription price. 

4 out of 5 Bloody Brains!!

So would you listen to a rare record that could kill you?? Let me know in the comments below

Quick Review Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

2019 | R | 1Hr 23 Min | Documentary | Shudder

Director: Xavier Burgin

Writers: Ashlee Blackwell, Danielle Burrows

Stars: Meosha Bean, Ashlee Blackwell, Robin R. Means Coleman

Synopsis:

Delving into a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and finally embraced them, HORROR NOIRE traces the untold history of Black Americans in Hollywood through their connection to the horror genre. Adapting Robin Means Coleman’s seminal book, HORROR NOIRE presents the living and the dead, using new and archival interviews from scholars and creators; the voices who survived the genre’s past trends, to those shaping its future.

Based on the book by the same name from author Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, this Shudder exclusive feature acts as a celebration as well as a criticism of how black filmmakers have been portrayed since the creation of cinema. Digging deep into the ugly history of racism expressed cinematically starting with the hatred of The Birth of a Nation to the casual cliche trope of the black actor dying first in the slasher Horror. Niore Director Xavier Burgin aims to confront the many cinematic injustices while at the same time highlighting and celebrating the films that faced discrimination. 

We all love Blackula hearing Crain’s journey to the director’s chair will revolutionize the manner in which you forever see William Marshall’s bloodsucker. Horror Noire offers the viewer an opportunity to reach into cinema’s past and gives you a reason (and there is no time like the present) to finally watch classics like Night of the Living Dead or Tales from the Hood along with a slew of others you may have missed. 

 This is a fun and fresh look at the history of Horror movies that comes from a fresh voice. It's sad tho this is only on Shudder as it truly deserves a wider audience!

4 out of 5

Quick Review Joan Jett Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation
2018 | R | 1Hr 33Min | Documentary | Magnolia Picutres

Director: Kevin Kerslake
Writer: Joel Marcus

Stars: 

Joan Jett

Eric Ambel

Billie Joe Armstrong

Synopsis

The life and career of rock ‘n’ roll icon Joan Jett from her early years ripping it up onstage as the founder and backbone of hard-rock legends The Runaways, to her longtime collaboration with Kenny Laguna as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock pioneer and mentor. With her inimitable singles “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” and “Bad Reputation” Joan Jett inspired a generation of young women to rock.

Man, I was 11 years old when I first heard "I Love Rock and Roll" and was hooked forever! That sound, that badass image, and Joan it was love, at first sight, thanks to MTV! I still had money left over from the summer of mowing lawns so it was not hard for me to catch a ride to the mall and buy my second ever album. When the song "Nag" came on it was the first time I ever picked up the needle to listen to something again and again. So simply put I could not wait to watch this documentary. 

Bad Reputation opens with a story of 13-year-old Joan tell about her desire for a Sears electric guitar. And how her parents didn't understand why she would want such a thing, thankfully they got her one anyway. And she wailed away on that bad boy until she became as good as—if not better than—the teen boys also dreaming of rock-and-roll stardom in the SoCal suburbs of the 1970s. Director Kevin Kerslake proceeds to take us through the years as Jett struggles to remain commercially viable, a challenge for any legacy act. Then along came the riot grrrl movement, which brought Jett back to her punk roots. In addition to her production work for Bikini Kill, and co-writing credits with Kathleen Hanna, she joined forces with the surviving members of the Gits to promote women's self-defense and to search for Mia Zapata's killer. She has also played for the troops and spoken out on behalf of LGBTQ rights and the benefits of vegetarianism.

Joan defiantly lived a rollercoaster life always having to fight her way through a male-dominated sport. It's her fight and drive that really keeps you watching, even this guy almost broke down in tears watching the segment from the Seattle grunge era. If you love Joan you will love this Doc if your a casual fan or somebody looking for a great story of survival you may love this even more. 

This wild child can be seen on Hulu and is well worth your time.

4 out of 5 Stars